Bama-bound? Planning to participate in sorority recruitment this fall at the University of Alabama? Lucky you!
Alabama has one of THE biggest and most famous sorority recruitments in the nation, with as many as 2500-3000 potential new members signing up for registration this past fall.
Congrats on choosing to go Greek at one of THE biggest, best, and – because of those two things – most competitive recruitments in the nation.
Also, shout out to RushTok / TikTok for shedding more light on the process and getting the word out there that PNMs need to get ready earlier! Maybe that’s even what brought you here in the first place.
The University of Alabama (‘Bama) has 18 incredible Panhellenic sorority chapters on campus that participate in their formal sorority recruitment. Fun fact: over 36% of the undergraduate students are Greek (even though it feels like way more with 12,000+ members.) If you’re wanting to join a sorority as part of your college experience, ‘Bama is the place to do it between the gorgeous chapter houses, the sheer size of the sororities in terms of membership, and all-around emphasis on a classic, well-rounded college sorority experience – from social events to philanthropy. You’re in for a FUN four years.
The University of Alabama (‘Bama) Panhellenic Sorority Chapters
*Alpha Delta Chi also has a chapter but it doesn’t participate in Bama’s formal recruitment, so it’s not listed below.
- Alpha Chi Omega
- Alpha Delta Pi
- Alpha Gamma Delta
- Alpha Omicron Pi
- Alpha Phi
- Chi Omega
- Delta Delta Delta
- Delta Gamma
- Delta Zeta
- Gamma Phi Beta
- Kappa Alpha Theta
- Kappa Delta
- Kappa Kappa Gamma
- Phi Mu
- Pi Beta Phi
- Sigma Delta Tau
- Sigma Kappa
- Zeta Tau Alpha
University of Alabama 2023 Formal Sorority Recruitment Schedule & Rush-Related Move-in Info
*updated with 2023 recruitment dates!
Bama has a week-long sorority recruitment process in the fall, right before school begins. It contains four rounds a PNM must make it through. See this year’s recruitment schedule below:
Wednesday, August 9 – Friday, August 11: Early Move-In (on-campus only)
*PNMs have to register for recruitment early to secure an earlier move-in date for recruitment – the early bird gets the worm, and early move-in spots are not guaranteed by the school if you register for recruitment too late (even if you met the recruitment registration deadline).
Saturday, August 12: Convocation (morning)
Saturday, August 12: Open House (afternoon)
Sunday, August 13: Philanthropy Day I
Monday, August 14: Philanthropy Day II
Tuesday, August 15: Philanthropy Day III
Wednesday, August 16: Sisterhood Day I
Thursday, August 17: Sisterhood Day II
Friday, August 18: Sisterhood Day III
Saturday, August 19: Preference Day I
Sunday, August 20: Bid Day
Alabama-Specific Pre-Recruitment MUST-KNOW INFO going into 2023
Sorority recruitment does NOT begin in August.
- Even though the University of Alabama Panhellenic website says otherwise, recruitment DOES NOT BEGIN IN AUGUST with formal recruitment. The sororities start making lists of PNMs they’re excited about in JANUARY of the girls’ senior year. At Bama, it’s not just important – it’s absolutely essential to get on the recruitment team’s radar as soon as you commit so that the chapter is aware of your existence.
At Alabama, Letters of Recommendation are a MUST.
- How does a PNM get on a recruitment team’s radar if they don’t know current members at that chapter? One way is with Letters of Recommendation / also called Recruitment Information Forms (RIFs).
- If you do not know anyone in the chapters (and even if you do) you should STILL obtain these.
- Alabama has an extremely competitive recruitment process, and you absolutely need these if you plan to rush here.
- Why? Aside from the fact that turning these in shows interest, if you don’t personally know anyone and you aren’t able to register for recruitment until May (when Bama’s registration typically goes live), turning in Letters of Recommendation helps the sorority chapters:
- 1) know of your existence
- 2) get to know you before recruitment and most importantly – get excited about you!
Think of it this way: if the chapters don’t know about you ahead of time, they can’t get excited about you during recruitment and it’s easier to slip through the cracks. It’s like expecting a cute guy from one of your 100+ person college classes who doesn’t know you yet to ask you out. You could be the cutest, sweetest, most interesting girl in the class, but if you haven’t introduced yourself, a date’s pretty unlikely, right?
Do not ignore the deadlines!
There are 2500-3000 of you and 4-6 members on each chapter’s recruitment team.
- In order to maximize your chances of receiving more invites back, Alabama Letters of Recommendation are due on – or even better, before – May 1, regardless of the listed dates on the Alabama University Panhellenic website & Instagram account, Alabama sorority websites, and your city’s local Panhellenic Association’s suggested dates.
- Yes, technically you can turn them in later, but think of this like you would a job application.
- If a company opens a job application for 90 days, sure you absolutely can apply the day before they take it down. But if they’ve already found the right candidates and they’re excited about them, and there are only so many open jobs – what do you think your chance of getting that job is going to be? Less likely than the earlier applicants with similar qualifications – that’s for sure.
- Ignore the misleading deadlines you see that are designed to make everyone feel included and have your Letters of Rec turned in by May 1st if you want to maximize your chances of receiving more invites from more chapters. (If you’re reading this after May 1st – deep breath, don’t panic. You’re behind, BUT it’s still better to turn them in ASAP vs. not at all. Not sure if it’s still worth doing? Depends on how far along in the summer you are.) *If you’re unsure if you’ve missed the window for recommendations, you’re welcome to contact us and we can help you fully understand what to do / when it’s due / and how to expedite this process.
- We can help PNMs navigate this entire process surrounding what these letters are, where to turn them in, and who can/should complete them, but we can’t do anything after the window to turn them in closes. What are Letters of Recommendation (LORs), Recruitment Information Forms (RIFs), and Letters of Support (LOS)? Read our 5-min blog post.
Alabama has a mandatory PNM Video assignment that’s due with sorority registration.
- PNMs are required to answer specific prompts and record a video of themselves answering these.
- This video is due along with registration over the summer prior to formal recruitment and will be factored into your PNM score and impact whether or not you return for round 2. Take it seriously and turn it in early!
- We help PNMs with scripting, filming tips, and suggestions on how to be more memorable in their videos with 1×1 coaching sessions, so if you want guidance – that’s what we’re here for!
Plan to participate in sorority recruitment at the University of Alabama this fall? Don’t risk slipping through the cracks!
Work with a sorority recruitment coach that specializes in Alabama recruitment and cheers as tons of our girls happily receive their bids every year!!
A lot of the big decisions with rushees involve paperwork and are made months before recruitment.
We know exactly what the Director of Recruitment Records is looking for on your resume, how the sororities will rank your rec letters on a scale (and how you can get a higher ranking), how best to prepare your rush packets, how the bid list ordering and cut process works, and what you should actually be discussing during each round. (Hint – it’s not what the Panhellenic guides will tell you!)
Working with a sorority recruitment coach maximizes a PNM’s odds and gives your daughter an advantage long before she steps foot on campus for recruitment so she can go in more relaxed and confident.
It’s just like the SAT – it’s better to go in prepared. Let’s get you (or your daughter) recruitment ready.
To apply for the Hiking in Heels program, which has been nationally recognized in Cosmopolitan Magazine, Fortune, Elite Daily, and NBC, call us at (512) 827-7586 or complete the form below: